The Way of the English
by Doragonsureiya
Summary: Jack is back, and with his arrival in England comes a new adventure. How will he and his Japanese friends be welcomed? And, above all else, can he take care of his friends, his sister AND himself? Jack had always envisaged becoming a ship's pilot when he returned, but how can he now he has two foreign friends to watch over? Jack must decide what's most important: dreams or friends.
1. Chapter 1: London

**Young Samurai: The Way of the English**

**Notes:**

**Jack is back in more ways than one. For your viewing pleasure, I present Jack Fletcher's adventures in England.**

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**Chapter One: London**

The cart trundled along the street. Jack, Akiko and Yori had boarded the transport when they had arrived in England. Several weeks and most of their money later, the horse and cart was finally arriving at their destination: London.

"There it is!" exclaimed Jack, pointing to the city up ahead. Clouds of smoke rose from the thatched roofs of the outer city, creating thick smog above the buildings. Stone walls rapidly approached as the horse pulled the carriage along the dusty road. The carriage ceased to bounce as frequently as the dust trail became a paved road leading directly to London.

Jack shook his head to get the golden hair out of his eyes. He realised he needed a haircut, and knew just the barber to do it once he reached his home. The sight of London approaching filled his heart with joy at the thought of reaching home and his sister, Jess.

"So that's London?" Akiko's soft voice interrupted Jack's musing.

"Yes it is," Jack confirmed with a hint of pride in his voice.

"It looks… smoky," Akiko commented, seemingly displeased.

"That can't be good for the environment," Yori added with similar distaste.

"You get used to it, and it can't possibly be that bad for the environment – the pigeons don't seem to mind," Jack retorted in defence of his home. But truth be told, he wasn't quite so impressed himself. The smoke hadn't been a problem for him in his youth, but now he knew what life was like without it, he wasn't too keen to throw himself back into the suffocating cloud.

"If this is what you want, we'll be glad to stay here with you," Yori said, always wanting to please Jack. Jack, however, knew that Yori was only doing just that: pleasing him.

"Look, if you guys don't like London you can always go home. I only want what's best for you," Jack said. He didn't really want his friends to leave, but he knew he couldn't force them to stay here if they didn't want to.

"No, Jack. We can live anywhere as long as we're with you," Akiko said, smiling to show her sincerity. Jack breathed a sigh of relief at this as Yori nodded in agreement. Akiko and Yori made a silent pact to stop showing their displeasure in front of Jack as the cart finally pulled into the city.

Just as Jack began to will the cart to speed up, it slowed down and came to an eventual halt.

"Alright, everybody off," came the gruff voice of the driver.

"What? We paid you to take us home," Jack said incredulously.

"You paid me to take you to London. This is London," corrected the driver. Jack sighed. Though the man wasn't being entirely fair, Jack realised he had a point that he would stick to.

"Well, could you take us home, then?" He asked patiently.

"Sure, but it'll cost you," the man said, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together repeatedly. Jack pulled out his money pouch and frowned as he felt the smooth inner lining, but no coins. He then realised he had spent the last of the money on food the previous night. Seeing the look on Jack's face, the driver's expression hardened.

"If you haven't got the money, I haven't got the desire to take you anywhere. Pay up or get out!" he demanded coldly.

"You can't kick us out!" Akiko exclaimed.

"Ah, but I can," the man sneered. "Surely you must understand that I can't give free rides to you, or I'd have to give them to everyone."

"You're not giving a free ride to anyone!" Jack exclaimed, frustration burning his throat as he spat out the words. He had paid to go home, and go home he would.

"Exactly, thanks for understanding," the driver said, twisting Jack's words and turning them against him. Then, before they could react, he threw Yori over the side.

"Hey!" Jack and Akiko exclaimed in unison. Akiko drew her _katana, _but Jack forced himself to stop her.

"That may slide in Japan, but here in England you can get in serious trouble for drawing a sword at someone," he explained hurriedly. But the look on his face showed that he would do anything to change it if it meant he could teach this man what an honest deal was. Akiko reluctantly sheathed her sword and took to glowering at the man.

"That's it, now hop along. I haven't got all day," the man said impatiently. With a resigned sigh, Jack realised they weren't going anywhere anytime soon. He beckoned Akiko to follow and stepped off the cart, throwing the man a dirty look before helping Yori up and starting the journey.

"We're wasting daylight. With no money, we can't afford to stay anywhere overnight and the less time we spend on the streets at night, the better," Jack announced to the others.

"What's wrong with being on the streets at night?" Akiko asked.

"A different sort of crowd takes to the streets at night. Drunkards looking for a fight, mostly," Jack explained. Akiko turned to face him and placed her hands on her hips.

"Jack, after all we've been through do you still doubt my ability to take care of myself?" She accused him.

"What? No, not at all. I know we can handle any amount of drunkards, but I don't particularly feel like trying to keep back a horde of lady-chasers when they see you," Jack explained hurriedly, then trailed off as he realised what he'd implied. Yori gave him a knowing grin as Akiko fell silent.

"And what would they want with me?" she asked teasingly after a moment.

"Oh. Well, you're, um... not the least attractive girl in the city…" he stuttered, his cheeks flushing as he tried to find the right words to say. From the surprised look on Akiko's face, he knew he still hadn't found them. "No! What I meant to say is…"

"It's alright, Jack. I feel the same way about you," Akiko said tenderly, cutting off his hopeless rambling. He stood still for a moment, then realised what Akiko had just said.

"You… you do?" he asked.

"Yes, I do," Akiko whispered, leaning forward to kiss him gently on the cheek. Jack was momentarily stunned, until he regained his composure and gave a forced cough.

"Right, well we'd better get moving. Home's not going to find itself," he managed to say, taking the lead and starting to walk again. Yori caught up and cast him a sly grin as Jack raised his hand to touch the spot where Akiko's lips had graced his skin. Perhaps his return to London wouldn't be as unpleasant as he had thought.

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**That's all, folks! Sorry the updates haven't been coming very quickly this weekend, I've had some other things to do as well. I should be able to write some more over the coming week, but I can't promise any quick releases like last weekend for a while. Anyway, if you liked this first chapter then please feel free to review it. If you want to keep up to date with Jack's adventures, follow the story or me as an author. That way, you can be among the first to know when I publish a new chapter or, if you follow me as an author, a new story. **

**If you're a new reader, make sure you check out my other Young Samurai story, "The Way Back Home", which tells the story of the journey leading to Jack's arrival in London. If you're a returning reader, I'd love to hear what you think of this latest instalment in my Young Samurai series. This story isn't about me, or even Jack, it's about you, the reader. If you don't enjoy it, there's no point in writing it.**

**Thank you for reading, whether you're new to me as an author or a returning reader. See you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: Thames

**Young Samurai: The Way of the English**

**Notes:**

**I'd like to start by apologising for how long this has taken to update, but one thing led to another and… I sort of almost forgot about it. But while looking over my stories, I realised this still existed and got some new inspiration. So, with no further ado, I present the story!**

**It's time for chapter two, in which home is in sight and Jack faces a new struggle: his feelings for Akiko are now out in the open, and he has no idea how to deal with it. He has found out that Akiko feels the same way, but how will he react once there's nowhere to run?**

**Shout-outs:**

**Vergil Leonidas: I agree there should be a bit of action, but I also agree that now is not the time. I'm afraid this chapter is going to have little action, too, but the next one should pick up a little.**

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**Chapter Two: Thames**

Jack and Yori walked side by side, Akiko somewhat behind and out of earshot. Since their confessions earlier, Jack and Akiko had maintained an awkward silence as they walked along the streets. Jack, his knowledge of London brought out of him by his return, was leading the way and trying to keep ahead of Akiko to avoid further conversation, but while Akiko seemed to respect that, Yori refused to leave him alone about it.

"I told you she liked you back!" he beamed.

"Yes, Yori, you did," Jack sighed. Yori had been like this for the majority of the afternoon. Where he would usually be quiet and composed, the little monk had become a buzz of excitement at the prospect of Jack and Akiko being together.

"You don't seem to be too happy about it, though," Yori observed with a frown.

"I am, I just don't want to talk about it right now. We need to get off the streets by tonight, and that's my first concern," Jack said.

"You really should talk to her, you know. After confessing something like that, she expects you to react in some way. Otherwise she'll think you're not interested," Yori suggested. Jack looked back at Akiko's trailing form and realised his little friend was right. It was important that they got off the streets, but it was more important to him that he didn't lose Akiko.

"You're right. Thanks Yori, I don't know what I'd do without you, sometimes," Jack smiled, before dropping back to walk beside Akiko. Yori kept a respectful distance, but Jack could still see that he was turning around to look at them every once in a while.

"Hey," he said as he reached Akiko. He instantly felt his heart beat ten times faster and his cheeks began to flush as Akiko turned to look at him.

"Was I wrong?" she asked suddenly, her voice shaking. Jack realised her eyes were puffy and red – she'd been crying.

"About what?" Jack asked, taken aback by her saddened appearance.

"About us. I thought you liked me. Was I wrong?" she explained.

"No!" Jack exclaimed, instantly feeling uncomfortable. He didn't like talking about his feelings like this, but seeing Akiko's face he was compelled to do something to cheer her up. "You- you were completely right," he stuttered. He became nervous again now, and struggled to find the right words.

"Really?" Akiko asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes," he choked. He felt nerves like never before, not even matched by those he felt in some of the most difficult battles of his life as a samurai. His instincts told him to walk away as quickly as possible, but he fought the urge with all his might. Seeing a bit of disbelief in Akiko's eyes as he failed to say anything else, he knew he had to do something to prove his feelings. Fighting the nerves with all his willpower, he leaned forward shakily and planted what he hoped was a gentle kiss on her cheek. Pulling back, he carefully analysed Akiko's face and was relieved to see a genuine smile on her lips. He smiled too as he glanced toward Yori, who had stopped in his tracks and now watched open-mouthed as Jack took Akiko's hand in his and the two walked toward Yori.

"What are you gawping at?" Akiko giggled as they passed Yori, who remained rooted to the spot. He then hurriedly ran forward to Jack's other side as he announced their planned route.

"The river Thames is just up ahead. When we come to there, I suggest we turn right. My house is just on the riverbank. We should spend the night there and go see Jess tomorrow," Jack explained. Though he sounded confident, he wondered whether there would be any Jess to see. His sister's guardian, Mrs Winters, was very old when Jack had left, and he wondered whether she was even still alive. He hoped so, for he knew the alternative was that his sister was in a workhouse, where orphans like her were sent. He knew the matrons there could be awful to the children, and couldn't imagine his sister suffering the punishments they gave out.

"What about food?" Akiko asked, interrupting Jack's thoughts.

"Father always kept the majority of his fortune from the seas in a safe hidden in the house. We'll take some out of that – me being his heir – and go to the local butchers and greengrocers tonight, then I'll cook us up a meal," Jack answered. Yori and Akiko nodded their agreement to his plan as he led them through the streets toward the river that bisected the city. When the Thames came into sight, Jack signalled that they go right with his free hand and turned. He felt Akiko's soft skin against his own as he led her through the streets, twisting and turning in pursuit of home.

After an hour more walking, Jack finally caught a glimpse of the detached home that he had seen only in his dreams for the past eight years. The familiar chimney no longer spewed out smoke like in his childhood, and the lamps no longer lit up the now dusty windows, but his home was just where he left it. He felt a touch of joy when he saw the cobwebs in the windows. He had worried that, him being presumed dead, his house may have been sold or worse, demolished, so it was a relief to see it unoccupied and intact.

"There it is!" he exclaimed to the others, releasing Akiko's hand to point at the building ahead. "It may look a tad unkempt right now, but so would any building if it had been unoccupied for eight years." Akiko and Yori, who had failed to show any enthusiasm at the sight of the abandoned building, smiled as they realised it was only temporary. Jack would soon have it fixed up, and then they'd be living in comfort, together.

Jack carefully crept up to the door and tried the handle, but it was locked.

"Not to worry, father always kept a spare key buried in the flower patch," he reassured his friends, hoping it was still true. He dug his hands into the soil of the flower patch. While the flowers were all long dead, he hoped his dreams of getting home wouldn't die here too. After groping around in the soil for a while, his heart skipped a beat as his fingers found a metal object. He pulled it up to reveal a key, preserved by the layer of soil above. He pushed it into the keyhole and twisted it, and to his delight, the door clicked open. He pushed the door inwards and walked into the hall, his friends following. Closing the door behind him, Yori gasped in wonder at the decorated hall. Pictures of Jack and his family dotted the walls, some professionally crafted, and others were scribbles created by a younger Jack and Jess. Jack was rooted to the floor as memories rushed him all at once, ending with the last time he had left the house to begin that fateful journey to Japan in the first place. He was broken out of his reverie by Akiko's gentle hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head to look into her eyes.

"Your home is beautiful. With a good clean, it should be lovely to live in. Does it have a bath?" she asked. Jack nodded. "Then I'm going to have one."

"Wait! The bath will be very dirty and the water stale. Drain the water tank first, then use fresh water to clean it out. Be thorough. You don't want a disease, do you?" Jack advised her. Akiko nodded and mounted the stairs, her footsteps echoing down the stairs while Jack turned to Yori.

"Do you need anything?" he asked his small friend.

"Just somewhere to sit down, for now. I'll bathe after Akiko," Yori answered. Jack directed him to the sitting room, where Yori found a sofa and sat down. Ordinarily, he would have found the chair difficult to sit in, given that the Japanese only used cushions as seating, but the two years of using hard wooden chairs at sea had prepared him for this. Compared to them, the sofa was as comfortable as any cushion.

As the sound of the water tank spluttering back to life rang through the walls of the house, Jack prepared to leave.

"I'm going to get some food, I'll be back soon!" he called to the others before exiting the house and locking the door. Placing the key safely in his breast pocket, he began to walk toward Market Street. He wondered whether the shops would be open at this hour, but judging by the packed street he was faced with upon arrival, he thought so. Entering the butchers, he stepped into line. When he at last reached the counter, he was surprised to be met with a familiar face.

"And you, sir? What can I get… Jack? Jack Fletcher?" the man gasped, dropping his meat cleaver at the sight of Jack's face.

"David?" Jack replied with equal shock. The butcher leapt across the desk and embraced Jack, before stepping back and staring at him.

"They told me you were dead!" David exclaimed.

"No, just lost. I spent four years in Japan before finding a ship and coming home," Jack corrected him, before launching into a short explanation of his adventures in Japan. David listened intently, his green eyes focussed on Jack, trying to decide whether this truly was his lost friend. The boy was the same age as Jack, with similar blonde hair, but somewhat taller. Before Jack had left, David had been his best friend.

"So you really lived with the Japanese for four years?" David asked incredulously as Jack finished his story. He nodded before asking a question of his own.

"So, what are you doing at the bakery? Old Man Wetherspoon hire you as an apprentice?"

"Old Man Wetherspoon died a couple of years back. Drowned in the Thames," David explained, a sad look in his eye. Jack suddenly realised how much he must have missed while he was gone.

"But enough about butcher business. You lived in Japan for four years! Did you bring anything back?" David asked, determined to talk about Japan. Jack smiled as he replied.

"A thing or two," he smirked. He had wondered how his friends in England would react to seeing Akiko and Yori. Now was his opportunity to see. "Would you like to see what I brought back?"

"Sure, I'll just close up shop. I was about to anyway," David said. He wasn't doing a great job of hiding his excitement.

"Excellent, I'll just pop to the greengrocer and pick you up on the way back," Jack said, picking up the bag that one of David's workers had just presented to him. He waved to David and walked out the door, heading toward the greengrocers.

Shortly after collecting some fresh fruits and vegetables from the greengrocer, Jack returned to the butchers and picked up David before heading toward the house. They passed the time by talking some more about Jack's time in Japan. By the time they reached the house, David knew all about his travels and Jack knew a little of what had happened in England while he was gone. Unfortunately, David knew nothing of what had happened to Jess. As the old friends reached the front door, Jack unlocked it and stepped in before David.

"I'm back!" he called, much to David's surprise.

"I thought you said your father didn't make it?" he said, choosing his words carefully.

"He didn't," Jack replied, for a moment taken by sadness.

"Hi, Jack!" called Akiko from the sitting room.

"Was that your sister?" David asked, his confusion mounting. When Akiko's head poked around the sitting room door, David's jaw dropped.

"I told you I brought a few things back from Japan," Jack grinned as Akiko walked in.

"Who's this?" she asked, causing David to physically tremble with shock.

"She speaks English?" he exclaimed, swaying on the spot slightly.

"Of course I do, Jack taught me," Akiko smiled, a tad uncomfortable at the sight of the raving Englishman in the hallway.

"He taught you? Ha! Jack the teacher! I never imagined the son of a pilot would go down that path," David jested.

"What's wrong with being educated?" Akiko challenged.

"N-nothing!" David stuttered, taken aback by Akiko's reaction to what he thought was just a passing comment.

"That's what I thought," Akiko said, stepping back a little. Sensing the rising tension, Jack stepped in.

"Akiko, this is David. He was my friend before I left for Japan. David, this is Akiko, my friend from Japan," he said by way of introduction.

"Friend?" David asked, a sly grin on his face.

"Friend?" Akiko echoed, looking at Jack with disapproval.

"Friend," Jack said firmly, giving Akiko a look that told her to keep their confessions quiet for the moment. She frowned, but held her tongue. The damage, however, was already done when Akiko had said "friend?"

"So, you two are together?" David asked. Jack sighed and hung his head in defeat.

"In a way, yes," he admitted.

"In a way? You're either with her or you're not," David said.

"Well then, yes. Yes, I am with Akiko," Jack said. It actually felt good to say it out loud. Somehow it made it all seem more real. "Anyway," he said, trying to change the topic before he got too embarrassed, "where's Yori?"

"He's upstairs, bathing," Akiko answered.

"Sorry, but who's Yori?" David interrupted.

"Another friend from Japan. If you stay here for a bit, you'll meet him," Jack offered.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm afraid I must be going. Mother will be expecting me back soon," David said, as if the last thing he wanted was whatever his mother was cooking for dinner.

"Well, just know that you're always welcome here if you want to visit," Jack said with a friendly smile.

As Jack closed the door on David's retreating form, Akiko turned to him with a stern look on her face.

"Why didn't you want to tell him about us?" she asked, offended.

"I-I don't know," Jack said truthfully. "This is my first relationship. I don't know what to do…" Akiko's cold expression warmed up as she realised Jack really was clueless in the matter.

"Don't worry," she said kindly, "it's my first relationship, too." That made Jack feel slightly better, but he still wasn't quite confident. An awkward silence fell as they both tried to think of something else to say. Jack spoke first.

"So, how are you liking the house?" he asked.

"Oh, it's nice," Akiko answered, as if she had expected Jack to say something else. He realised this, but still he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Was your bath okay?" he asked awkwardly. _What am I saying? _

"Yes, I'm quite clean," Akiko answered. Still, she seemed to want to talk about something else. But even she didn't know what to say. "When are we going to try and find your sister?" she asked, for want of something better to say.

"Whenever we're ready. It'll have to be tomorrow, at the earliest. Anyway, why are we standing out here? There's a room with comfy chairs just next us." And so Jack and Akiko walked into the living room, sitting on separate seats. They sat in an awkward silence until Yori poked his head through the door.

"Did I hear a visitor?" he asked.

"Yes, my friend David," Jack answered, glad of the new topic. "You just missed him, but I expect you two will meet someday soon."

"That's a shame, I was looking forward to meeting your friends. Still, it's better to meet them later than never at all," Yori said, finding the bright side as always. That was one of the qualities Jack had always admired in him, as well as his loyalty and wise words. He saw Akiko sitting on a separate seat to Jack and instantly gauged the situation.

"Jack, could I speak with you a moment?" he asked. Jack nodded, and the two boys stepped out of the living room and into the hall outside.

"What's up, Yori?" Jack asked.

"Akiko doubts how serious you are about your relationship," Yori said bluntly.

"What? Why?" Jack asked, though he already knew the answer deep down.

"You've been ignoring her, and pretending you're not together whenever you come across someone. If you really love Akiko, you're going to have to show the whole world, starting with her. Do you love her?"

"Of-of course I do!" Jack said quickly, taken aback by the suddenness of the question. "More than anything!"

"Then prove it. I'll leave you two alone and see what I can do about cooking something up for dinner. You go in there and you prove to her that you care," Yori commanded Jack. Jack was shocked by how firm his friend was being, but he knew Yori was doing it for his benefit. He nodded, and stood by the door for a moment to gather his thoughts while Yori headed to the kitchen with the groceries Jack had brought home.

When Jack finally got up the guts to open the door, his hands were trembling and his breath catching.

"Akiko?" he stuttered nervously. Akiko looked at him, her dazzling hazel eyes connecting with his and causing all his five minutes of planning to fly out the window.

"Yes, Jack?" she asked, her voice soft. Jack struggled to find any words, lost in her eyes.

"I just thought you should know," he began uncertainly, "that I love you. I really do, and I hope you know that."

"Of course I know, Jack," Akiko said, smiling warmly. Unsure of what to do next, Jack walked around a sat beside Akiko on the sofa. She lightly rested her head on his shoulder, her dark hair cascading down his right side.

"Oh," Jack breathed softly, barely audible to Akiko.

"I'm sorry, is this uncomfortable?" Akiko asked, lifting her head off of Jack's shoulder. She was equally unsure as Jack.

"No!" Jack answered, a little quicker than he intended. "No, it's perfect," he added, calmer this time. He couldn't help but smile when he felt Akiko's soft head returning to his shoulder.

A loud crash came from the direction of the kitchen.

"Yori," Jack mumbled under his breath. "Sorry, Akiko, I have to go and see to this, or we won't have anything to eat tonight."

"It's OK, I understand," Akiko said with a smile, though Jack could tell that she wished he wouldn't leave. Jack actually wished he didn't have to go, either, no longer wanting to hide from his feelings. Reluctantly, he stood up and exited the living room, leaving Akiko behind. He opened the door to the kitchen, and saw an upside-down cooking pot and a puddle of boiling water on the floor. He shook his head, tutting to himself and staring sternly at a guilty-looking Yori.

"Looks like you still have some way to go before you're accustomed to life in England," he stated with a chuckle. "Go on, let me cook tonight. The deed is done." Yori skittered out of the room gratefully, apologising profusely. Jack shook his head again and set to cleaning up the spilled water. Akiko would have to wait.

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**OK, so that's this chapter finished. I'll apologise now for the fact that I'm awful at writing romantic scenes. Luckily for all of us, that's not an overriding theme here. This story is about Jack's return to England, and the Jackiko (pretty sure I just invented that term) relationship is just a side plot. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter in the reviews, whether you thought it good or bad. And to anyone who might say that Jack and Akiko's relationship started too soon, it's been 8 normal books and one of my own since they met, so if anything, it's far too late.**


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